Monthly Archives: December 2010

End of Year Giving, End of Visible Church

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 31, 2010

First it was Justin Taylor informing the world (or at least the readers of his blog) that Desiring God Ministries needed money. The post from last June was entitled, “Helping DG,” and at first I thought, even hoped, that Justin was very kind to offer me help. Turned out that the DG in question was… Read More→

Posted in Wilderness Wanderings | Tagged , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Christian Hell?

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 30, 2010

Mark Horne apparently thinks he has landed a damaging jab against 2k by ridiculing Jason Stellman’s point about the discontinuity between culture here and the new heavens and new earth – a point raised in Keith Mathison’s review of David VanDrunen’s new book, Living in God’s Two Kingdoms. Stellman wrote: If my marriage to my… Read More→

Posted in Lordship of Christ | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments

Happy Hodgemas

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 28, 2010

I understand that for those observers of all holidays, but holy and secular, persevering a whole week between Christmas and New Year’s Day without a party can be an ordeal. I also know that for those vinegary Presbyterians who don’t observe the nativity of Christ in late December, non-observance can look downright acidic. The remedy… Read More→

Posted in Novus Ordo Seclorum, Shock and Awe | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Act Two, Scene Three: How Soon They Forget

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 27, 2010

In his serialized review of VanDrunen’s Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms, Nelson Kloosterman finishes his inspection of the chapter on Calvin with the line, “Remember the Puritans.” This is a curious appeal because Kloosterman’s memory may not be as good as his review of VanDrunen is long. His major objection to 2k appears to… Read More→

Posted in Novus Ordo Seclorum | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Take, Eat, This Is My Baby Given for You

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 25, 2010

For low church Protestants who partake of the Lord’s Supper monthly, usually the first Sunday of the month, the juxtaposition of remembering both the baby Jesus’ fleshy form and the adult Jesus’ broken body and flowing blood rarely occurs. We can have our Lord’s Supper at the beginning of December and hear sermons on the… Read More→

Posted in Shock and Awe | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Two-Kingdom Tuesday: Making Luther Safe for the Baylys

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 21, 2010

One of the advantages of the holiday season is the excuse it gives for reading Protestants who follow the church calendar – in this case, Martin Luther. The Martin Luther Christmas Book is a wonderfully good read any time of the year, but since sermons, songs, and church events keep reminding us of the nativity… Read More→

Posted in Wilderness Wanderings | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

If Justin Taylor Gives to the OPC’s Thank Offering, I’ll Contribute to the Gospel Coalition (maybe)

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 17, 2010

Golfers know the adage that you drive for show and putt for dough. The translation for non-golfers is that 300-yard drives don’t matter if you three-putt the green on to which you’ve chipped because of your impressive – u-dah-man!! – drive. In fact, if you don’t sink your birdie putt (one under par for the… Read More→

Posted in Jure Divino Presbyterianism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 52 Comments

Otherworldly Thursday: Calvin on the Spiritual Life

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 16, 2010

As much as some critics may question my personal piety, I do daily attend to private worship and often make use of readings from the likes of the Reformers. (It grieves me to admit this since such public unction seems to be at odds with Christ’s own counsel to his followers in Matt 6: 5.)… Read More→

Posted in Piety without Exuberance, spirituality of the church | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Heidelblog Is No Longer Hibernating

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 12, 2010

Anyone who thinks this is perverse may need to look in the mirror. Two-kingdom theology is remarkably simple. As Scott Clark explains, it’s all about priorities: This inversion, this social precisionism and theological and ecclesiastical latitudinarianism, is precisely why it’s important to distinguish between the two spheres of the administration of God’s sovereignty. The social… Read More→

Posted in Paleo Calvinism | Tagged , | 13 Comments

What We Owe Presbyterians (or, Presbyterian Justice)

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 9, 2010

Tim Keller’s new book, Generous Justice, has him giving answers to reporters’ and bloggers’ questions about his argument and reasons for writing. One of those interviews came out recently at Christianity Today, under the title, “What We Owe the Poor.” Part of his strategy, as he explains, is to move people who are not convinced… Read More→

Posted in Jure Divino Presbyterianism, spirituality of the church | Tagged , , , | 86 Comments